24 Dec, 2020
Hong Kong authorities have made arrests after the closure of underground casinos.
Two unlawful venues in Tai Po and Sheung Shui, both in Hong Kong's New Territories, were shut down throughout the course of the operation's two days.
Police seized mahjong tables, arcade machines, cash, gambling chips, and illicit substances, and detained 34 males and 14 women between the ages of 17 and 65.
While this was going on, more than half of the suspects were fined for breaking regulations prohibiting meetings of more than two persons during the coronavirus outbreak.
Due to ventilation issues and unsanitary conditions, the venues created a danger of coronavirus transmission. "It's irresponsible for them to set up such illegal gambling dens or drug dens," said Johnson Chong Shing-yat, assistant district commander in Tai Po.
The casino, frequented by the rich, was shut down by Hong Kong police in the Tsim Sha Tsui commercial district the day before the arrests were made.
A lawyer and four business executives were among the sixteen persons taken into custody. In addition to the HK$215,000 in cash, police also confiscated HK$24m (US$3m) in casino chips.
According to a police source, "a single bet involving more than HK$100,000 was placed on a baccarat game." We estimate that its daily sales were as high as HK$10 million, with the gang taking home as much as HK$1 million each night.
Over HK$130,000 per month was reportedly spent by the gambling racket on renting the penthouse in The Masterpiece, a high-end residential tower with 345 luxury flats, a shopping centre, and a hotel.
